“I’m sorry.”
He shrugged. “Don’t be. Remember, I chose this. I fell. I chose to separate myself from whom I used to be. In Heaven I helped command armies. I was in charge of the souls of people. I had dominion over humans. Here, I’m merely Seth.”
“That’s kind of awful.”
He laughed. “You’re telling me. I used to envy humans. Now? Not so much.”
“They aren’t that bad,” I mumbled.
“Says the half-breed.” Atlas coughed behind me. I glared and turned my attention back to Seth.
“For what it’s worth, I forgive you.” I squeezed his hand. He looked down at our hands clasped together. Power surged between us. If it hadn’t happened before, I would have been a little freaked. “Why does that happen? I could have sworn each time we touched you grew or got more powerful.”
Seth flushed and looked away.
“What?” I laughed. “Now you have to tell me.”
Atlas chuckled behind us and lifted his hands. “I’m officially stepping out of this conversation and walking toward the water. Have at it, Seth.”
Seth tugged the back of his hair and shook his head before biting his lip and facing me. “It’s kind of embarrassing.”
“Try me.”
“What Adonis is to you, the way he gives you power gives you… feelings?”
I nodded.
“A Seeker, a half-breed, does similar things to a Fallen. When you fell, El put every human emotion into you, only it’s a thousand times worse as I’m sure you know, because you have your heavenly side as well. So when I’m exposed to Light, or something good, my supernatural side calls out to it.”
I gulped. “It calls you home.”
He nodded his head. “Yes. It does, and it’s really hard for me to not take advantage of that. In a way I lust for you, but it’s nothing more than that.” His eyes held mine. I don’t know if he was trying to convince me or himself, but I was never given the chance to ask. He dropped my hand and shrugged. “It’s not a big deal, Thena.” With a wink he walked off.
“Where are you going?”
He nodded to where Adonis stood. “He has his answer. I think it’s better if I join Atlas. We’ll see you both back at Headquarters tomorrow.”
“Where will you go?” I demanded.
“Thought I’d take Atlas down.”
I rolled my eyes. “Just make sure he comes back up from that place. Stupid vampires.”
“Hey, they fight for us,” he interjected then turned back around and slapped Atlas on the back.
Warm hands gripped my shoulders. “Ready?” Adonis’s honeyed voice whispered in my ear.
“Yes.”
“Good.” He held my hand as we walked along the shore in silence. We were only a few miles from our apartment in Ballard. I hoped we were going to stay there tonight. I wasn’t ready to go back to Headquarters just yet.
“So, how was Michael?”
“Unhappy.” Adonis sighed.
“Because of what you asked him?”
Adonis clenched my hand then brought it to his lips and kissed the soft skin near my thumb, his eyes closed as his lips made contact with my hand. “Yes,” he murmured across my skin, making me tremble.
“You can’t tell me, can you?”
Adonis grinned. The same grin I’m sure he gives women when he’s distracting them so I can go in for the kill. Awesome. “I can tell you.”
I stopped walking. “Seriously?”
“Yes, but not here.”
“Why?”
“No protection. What I have to tell you isn’t exactly known in this realm.”
“Well.” I grabbed his hand and took off in a run, “Let’s go.”
****
It took us exactly ten minutes to run to the apartment. Naturally, we weren’t out of breath, and it had felt good to stretch my legs. We laughed on the way to the top-floor penthouse, where we sometimes lived.
The apartment had a gorgeous view of the Sound. I sighed quite contentedly, just looking out the window, holding Adonis’s hand. But I wanted the story, the full story. I needed to know why he had lied.
“Have a seat.” He pointed to the couch.
I sprawled out and watched him pace in front of me. Honestly, now that I knew, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t noticed it before. His lips were slightly larger than most Seekers’. In fact, his face was a lot like Michael’s or Raphael’s, as if someone went to great pains to shape him out of rock. Every plane, from his cheekbones to the length of his neck, was in perfect symmetry. Even his hair didn’t have the same texture mine did. I just thought it was part of his enticer tricks. But the closer I looked, the more I realized he didn’t look half-human at all.
He looked like a completely different being.
And then it hit me.
“You jerk!” I jumped up from the couch and ran at him. Lucky for him I wasn’t mad enough to push him through the window, but I was close.
“What?” He pulled me against his rock-hard body and sighed. “Another reason I didn’t tell you.”
I tucked my head against his chest. “You’re beautiful.”
He sighed again.